Teaching purpose-driven entrepreneurs learn to be the Directors of Marketing for their businesses

How You Are Sabotaging Your Business

Have you ever heard of the expression: “You are your own worst enemy”?

Sometimes in business, it’s very true.

It’s like we have two voices whispering in our ears. The first one is soft and encouraging, telling us we can do anything we set our minds to. The second one is loud and brash, demanding that we play small and not take any risks.

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After you read that definition, you may be thinking: I am not deliberately destroying my business!

I get it: Sabotage is a word that should make you jump and be alert. It’s not a nice action.

But the truth is this: Sometimes we are sabotaging our efforts – and don’t even realize it.

After coaching hundreds (maybe thousands) of entrepreneurs, I see many patterns of sabotage that affect them. Admittedly, I battle these forms of sabotage too. Let’s go through three of these patterns right now:

#1: Indecision as a form of sabotage

Someone once said to me: “Indecision is a form of self-sabotage.”

Whoa! If you stop and think about this for a minute, it’s so true.

I am not referring to times when we need to mull things over. I am talking about times when we are anguishing over a decision – usually over a ridiculously long period of time. It’s not a simple checklist of pros and cons. We are battling our hearts and our brains, and not feeling confident in our decision-making abilities.

Total. Mindset. Killer.

If you are feeling indecisive, it usually means you want to go for something, but your Ego is telling you not to. You want to hire that mentor, but your Ego says you need the money for something else. You want to go to a conference, but your Ego keeps saying ‘but the kids!”

So, you waffle and toil. And you usually end up making the wrong decision.

Be bold in your decision making! Nothing catastrophic will probably happen if you hire that mentor or go to that conference. Decide and do!

#2: Resisting what needs to be done

Oh, Mr. Resistance, you are such a saboteur.

“Don’t sit down and write that blog post. Go dust the furniture instead!”

“Don’t go to that networking meeting. It’ll be a waste of time!”

“Don’t call that person. You will bother him!”

Whether you are resisting the work, or resisting a change, or just resisting visibility, you are sabotaging your business.

If you need help overcoming resistance, read The War of Art, by Steve Pressfield. It’s a short, powerful book. And if you already read it, reread it. It’s your guide to battling resistance and getting things done.

#3: Staying in your comfort zone

This is your Ego’s master play. This is where it wants you to be safe and secure. Hey, it was helpful during the prehistoric era when staying safe in your cave literally meant staying alive. That’s not the case anymore.

Think about a tiny step you can take out of your comfort zone.

For example, let’s say you are scared to death about making videos. Your first baby step would be to write down what you want to say. Then, your next baby step would be to read your script in front of the camera – but not record it. Your third step is to record you talking but promising yourself that it’s for your eyes only. The next step it to actually record and upload the video to YouTube. And you do it.

As you get comfortable with that baby step, it will give you the courage for the next one. And on and on you go, until one day, you look back and see how far you’ve come.

Let’s recap: You are sabotaging your business by being indecisive, by succumbing to your resistance, and by staying in your comfort zone.

How do I stop sabotaging my business?

The remedy to all three patterns is confidence. Be confident in your decision making. Be confident in your work. And be confident in trying new things.

You won’t wake up one morning and automatically say “I am totally confident now!” It takes work; do things in small increments. Over time, you’ll see how far you’ve progressed – and you’ll be so proud of yourself. I will be proud of you too.

If you ever need a tribe to help you stop self-sabotage, and get doses of love and confidence, please check out The Celestial Circle. Read the testimonials and see how people are changing their businesses, one baby step at a time. The Celestial Circle is affordable too. We would love to welcome you!

ABOUT JILL

Hi, I’m Jill Celeste. I teach purpose-driven entrepreneurs (just like you) everything you need to know about marketing so you can become the Director of Marketing for your business.

Because when you put your Director of Marketing hat squarely on your head, marketing is your number one priority (which will result in more clients!).

When I am not teaching about marketing, you’ll find me hanging out with my husband or my teenage boys, or taking a nap with my basset hound, Emma. I also like to play with my two guinea pigs and feed the backyard ducks (much to my neighbor’s chagrin).

Want to learn more about marketing? I invite you to get my book for free – just head over to www.ThatFirstClient.com. And don’t let the title fool you; it will help you get your first – or next – client. I am honored to help you! ♥